In March 2018, I released Flag Voice #484, which announced the new and revised Periodic Health Assessment (PHA). The PHA is focused on assessing individual medical readiness, ensuring Coast Guard members receive recommended Clinical Preventive Services and, most importantly, ensuring a ready total workforce.
The new PHA standardized the medical questionnaire so that all of the military services are using the same form. It also includes a Mental Health Assessment as required by the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. We have cancelled ALCOAST 268/18 – Implementation of the Annual Mental Health Assessment Requirement because rather than focusing on a stand-alone MHA, we want to focus on a comprehensive approach - ensuring members get their MHA at the same time as their PHA.
It’s been 6 months since we have implemented the new PHA, however only 25% of Coast Guard members have completed the new PHA. I would like leaders to reemphasize and educate our workforce that the PHA is a requirement and that members should not wait until January or February 2019 to complete their PHA because we simply won’t have the capacity to ensure a member’s medical readiness through the PHA process.
In order to improve completion, Coast Guard members who receive primary care at a Coast Guard clinic are authorized to call the Reserve Health Readiness Program (RHRP)’s contracted provider, Logistics Health Inc. (LHI), to complete their PHAs from 1 September 2018 to 1 March 2019. Their medical record review must be done by their assigned Coast Guard clinic. Once the medical record review is completed, the clinic staff will inform the member that he or she can schedule a PHA appointment with the Coast Guard clinic or with a RHRP (LHI) contract provider. Coast Guard active duty members not receiving their primary care at Coast Guard clinics and Selected Reservists must continue to use RHRP (LHI) for their PHAs. As a reminder, units can also use Group Events to improve access and convenience.
A PHA Job Aid can be found at: https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/hswlsc/OpMed/Shared%20Documents/Member%20PHA%20Job%20Aid.pdf.
I ask for your assistance to ensure unit and member awareness. Members must take responsibility for their own personal readiness. If you have any questions, please contact the Preventive Medicine Chief, CDR Shane Steiner, at Shane.c.steiner@uscg.mil.
RADM William G. Kelly
RADM WILLIAM G. KELLY
Assistant Commandant for Human Resources
Issue date: 09/04/2018